travel

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i would really like to do some traveling this year. i've always taken a bus or train to wherever i go, thus i have never been off the continent.

i am terrified of taking my trip by plane. not just flying, but having to deal with crowds and confusion as to where i'm supposed to be and when.

has anyone been able to do this? how did you cope? i really don't want to be confined this way, but i feel like it's always been something i can't deal with.

My 14 year old just took her first plane trip to NH from PA. It's usually a 12 hour drive, and she goes with family members. They make the trip every summer. I've always been nervous to have her fly as she is sensitive to a host of things, sounds, sensations. She may scream in response. Not a good thing on a plane these days. So, we spent time preparing, and talking about the things she would see, how she would stand in line, that there would be noise of people talking, flights being announced. We talked about the light woosh sound in the background on the plane, what the bathrooms are like, what it felt like and sounded like when the plane takes off and lands. We talked about what turbulence feels like and that it's normal. Any detail we could think of. We also looked on Google for sites about first time flying. There is an article on this site about how one woman handles flying, http://williamstillman.com/ just click on articles. We also talked about things like, how when you go through the security checkpoints, sometimes it feels invasive, but it's for everyone's safety, and everyone has to do it.

My daughter just arrived back home tonight and she LOVED flying. She can't wait to do it again, and she had absolutely no problems. She said the only thing she wasn't prepared for was the annoying voice of one flight attendant. She's sensitive to voices, different tones and types. But it was all wonderful for her I was so relieved!!

Now I don't know if she could have handled it alone. That's another issue. She was comfortable with family there with her. You might think about just visiting an airport with a friend, and see what it's really like, if you haven't.

Hope this has been helpful

You might try taking your first plane trip with a friend that has gone many times before. And take ear plugs and eyecoverings and whatever is your comfort blankie.

As for me, I'm just afraid of planes. They crash too often

That's why I'll never buy a car

Ohhh I see

Bicycles are quite nice, but you can fall off those as well, and people trip while walking.....

See, really you have to kind of choose to live or live in fear I'm not making light of anyone's fear, but I do know the only way to overcome some of them is to face them, and gradually desensitize. Not always possible, but we never know what's possible unless we try.

I don't fly these days, but the last flight I took was to Hawaii for a trip we won! It was a long long time in the air, and it was tiring, but not scary at all. I had flown by myself as a kid, and with my family.

It was a wonderful trip!

The reason I don't fly now is because it's so much hassel to go through. My Hawaii trip was pre-9/11, so there weren't all the security measures in place now.

I do understand the fear being out of control brings. I go through phases of not wanting to drive on the highway, or get in elevators. This doesn't last though, and I find the more I stay away from these types of things, the worse it is. I was afraid to drive for a few months after I got into a bad car accident, but a good friend helped me get over it, and glad he did. Sometimes it just takes the decision and a push to get moving out of fear and into living I'm fiercely independent, and public transit where I live is very inadequate.

I realy get afraid on planes, I just can not get used to it and I freak out a bit every time. I also dislike things like rollercoasters aswell.

I travel usually not very far, so only by bus or by train. Anyway, I'd have to fly if I want to visit the Western European cities